Tire Manufacturer Championship

Falken Tire, winner of the 2016 Tire Manufacturers Cup has returned to Formula DRIFT as the Official Tire Sponsor of Formula DRIFT.

In addition, they have announced six drivers competing on Falken Tires in the series this year; veterans Daijiro ‘Dai’ Yoshihara and Justin ‘JTP’ Pawlak, the return of the famous Falken Tire teal and blue liveries for Matt Field and Aurimas ‘Odi’ Bakchis, and Europeans James Deane and Piotr Wieck.

Falken Tire will also be offering additional activation at events in the form of dealer hospitality, spokesmodel meet & greets, drier autograph signings, and a learning center display through its Falken rig at most of the 8 rounds.

For more information, click here.

Posted in Daijiro Yoshihara, Formula D, James Deane, Justin Pawlak, Matt Field, Odi Bakchis, Tire Manufacturer Championship | 22 Comments »

Nexen Tire continues to lead the Tire Manufacturer Championship after Atlanta after receiving strong performances from Alec Hohnadell and Tanner Foust. Nexen has now had four different drivers contribute to their points total on the season. Falken tire improved to second in the standings, while Nitto Tire jumped from fifth after Long Beach to third. All six tire manufacturers are within striking distance of the championship.

Here’s a look at the Tire Manufacturer standings after 2 of 8 rounds:

1. Nexen Tire – 262 Points
2. Falken Tire – 247 Points
3. Nitto Tire – 212 Points
4. Hankook Tire – 199 Points
5. GT Radial – 153 Points
6. Achilles Radial – 149 Points

Posted in Alec Hohnadell, Formula D, Standings, Tire Manufacturer Championship | No Comments »

After the quiet exit of Maxxis Tire in the offseason as well as the loss of Yokohama, but the return of Nexen Tire, the number of tire manufacturers competing for the Tire cup is currently at 6 brands. Chelsea Denofa brought GT Radial not only their first podium but also their first event win, while Aasbo and Gushi brought Nexen their first two podium victories in Formula Drift history. The Nexen Tire team looks stacked, and the early lead in the Tire Championship isn’t much of a surprise. Hankook Tire has ran away with the Tire Championship in each of the last three seasons, but this season should be much more contentious as each brand has several great names under their banner.

Here are the Tire Manufacturer standings after the 1st of 8 rounds:

1. Nexen Tire – 144 Points
2. GT Radial – 116 Points
3. Falken Tire – 112 Points
4. Hankook Tire – 96 Points
5. Nitto Tire – 80 Points
6. Achilles Radial – 64 Points

Posted in Formula D, Tire Manufacturer Championship | 3 Comments »

With two of the three cars on the podium, Hankook extends their lead in the Tire Manufacturer Championship and is on pace to win their third consecutive title. Nitto Tire is still within striking distance, and any tire manufacturer could make up substantial ground with a pair of podium finishers in Wall.

Here’s a look at the Tire Manufacturer standings after 3 of 7 rounds:

1. Hankook Tire – 449 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 362 Points
3. Maxxis Tire – 294 Points
4. Falken Tire – 278 Points
5. Yokohama Tire – 259 Points
6. Achilles Tire – 257 Points
7. GT Radial – 143 Points

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With the event win, Hankook Tire takes the early lead in the tire championship, although there seems to be much more parity in the pits this season than in seasons past as far as tire compounds. All four of the final Long Beach competitors were on different tire brands (Aasbo on Hankook, Bakchis on Nitto, Tuerck on Maxxis, and Field on Yokohama), although Long Beach isn’t always the best indicator of tire performance due to the patchy pavement. With Kenda tire leaving Formula Drift this season, there are now 7 tire manufacturers competing for the Tire Manufacturer Championship.

Here’s the standings after the first event in the 2015 Formula D Championship:

1. Hankook Tire – 143 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 135 Points
3. Maxxis Tire – 102 Points
4. Falken Tire – 101 Points
T5. Achilles Tire – 86Points
T5. Yokohama Tire – 86Points
7. GT Radial – 52 Points

Posted in Fredric Aasbo, Matt Field, Odi Bakchis, Ryan Tuerck, Tire Manufacturer Championship | No Comments »

Hankook Tire is your 2014 Tire Manufacturer championship winner, repeating their 2013 Championship!

With the only two competitors statistically left in the championship being on Hankook Tire, it makes sense that they are atop the Tire Manufacturer standings. With a 214 point lead over Nitto Tire, and only 197.5 points available for qualifying 1/2 and finishing 1/2, there’s no way for Nitto Tire to take over the lead even if every Hankook Tire driver fails to qualify at Irwindale. Aasbo’s win combined with Forrest Wang’s 3rd place finish in Texas gave Hankook Tire an additional 178.5 points, and they are well on pace to break 1,055.5 points they earned last season (although the championship points structure has changed substantially). Nitto Tire still sits in second place, with Achilles Tire still holding onto third place.

Here’s the standings after 6 of 7 events in the Formula D Championship:

1. Hankook Tire – 962.5 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 748.5 Points
3. Achilles Tire – 647 Points
4. Falken Tire – 592.5 Points
5. Maxxis Tire – 347 Points
6. Yokohama Tire – 255 Points
7. Kenda Tire – 154.5 Points
8. GT Radial – 141.5 Points

Posted in Chris Forsberg, Formula D, Forrest Wang, Fredric Aasbo, Standings, Tire Manufacturer Championship | 1 Comment »

Hankook Tire extended their lead in the Tire Championship Standings substantially by placing both Fredric Aasbo and Chris Forsberg in the Final Four. Nitto Tire remained in second behind a Top-8 finish from Odi Bakchis and a top-16 finish from Matt Field. Falken Tire (4th place) gained on Achilles Tire (3rd place) thanks to the win and top-qualifying effort and win from Darren McNamara being backed up by a top-8 finish from Justin Pawlak. Maxxis Tire jumped Yokohama Tire for 5th place in the standings.

It’s looking like Hankook Tire may be able to lock up the championship in Texas if they can gain another 50 points on Nitto Tire in Texas.

Here’s how the Tire Championship Standings stack up after five of seven rounds:

1. Hankook Tire – 769.5 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 613 Points
3. Achilles Tire – 574 Points
4. Falken Tire – 508 Points
5. Maxxis Tire – 246.5 Points
6. Yokohama Tire – 218.5 Points
7. Kenda Tire – 154.5 Points
8. GT Radial – 124 Points

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A 1-2 sweep for Hankook Tire with Chris Forsberg and Fredric Aasbo taking the top two spots in New Jersey has helped extend their lead from 30.5 points after Miami to 107 points after New Jersey. Nitto Tire remains in second place with a third place finish from Odi Bakchis and a top-16 finish from Vaughn Gittin Jr, while Achilles Tire is still solidly in third place behind a top-4 finish from Charles Ng and a top-8 finish from Dean Kearney. Falken Tire, Yokohama Tire, Maxxis Tire, Kenda Tire, and GT Radial all remain in fourth through eighth place respectively.

Here’s how the Tire Championship standings look after 4 of 7 rounds:

1. Hankook Tire – 647 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 525.5 Points
3. Achilles Tire – 453 Points
4. Falken Tire – 345.5 Points
5. Yokohama Tire – 167.5 Points
6. Maxxis Tire – 160.5 Points
7. Kenda Tire – 160.5 Points
8. GT Radial – 90.5 Points

Posted in Formula D, Standings, Tire Manufacturer Championship | No Comments »

Tyler McQuarrie’s 4th place qualification and top-8 finish, paired with Chris Forsberg’s podium, helped keep Hankook Tire in first place in the Tire manufacturer championship. Nitto Tire closed the gap from 62.5 points down to 30.5 points via Vaughn Gittin Jr’s win combined with Matt Field’s final four finish. Achilles Tire, Falken Tire, and Yokohama Tire all remain in third, fourth, and fifth place respectively. Maxxis Tire now sits above Kenda Tire thanks to points from both Ryan Tuerck and Matt Coffman.

Here’s how the Tire Championship standings look after 3 of 7 rounds:

1. Hankook Tire – 452.5 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 422 Points
3. Achilles Tire – 338 Points
4. Falken Tire – 242 Points
5. Yokohama Tire – 128 Points
6. Maxxis Tire – 108 Points
7. Kenda Tire – 103.5 Points
8. GT Radial – 71.5 Points

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Hankook Tire remains in first place in the Tire Championship behind a double podium from Fredric Aasbo and Chris Forsberg. Nitto Tire moves up two spots into second place with Vaughn Gittin Jr’s win and a top-8 appearance from Odi Bakchis, while Achilles Tire remains in third place thanks to a 4th place finish from Nishida and a top-8 finish from Moen.

Here’s how the Tire Championship standings look after 2 of 7 rounds:

1. Hankook Tire – 310 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 247.5 Points
3. Achilles Tire – 218.5 Points
4. Falken Tire – 188 Points
5. Yokohama Tire – 110.5 Points
6. Kenda Tire – 86 Points
7. Maxxis Tire – 55.5 Points
8. GT Radial – 54 Points

Posted in Formula D, Standings, Tire Manufacturer Championship | No Comments »